State police report that violent crime is down in Virginia but 10 News has found that it increased in the Roanoke and New River valleys last year.
State police recently released their crime report for 2018. The violent crime category includes murder, forcible sex offenses, aggravated assault and robbery.
In the Roanoke Valley, violent crime is up 12.5% from 2017, and still slightly above the uptick in 2016.
There’s a similar trend in the New River Valley, where violent crime is up 10.5% from 2017 and there was another uptick in 2016.
Statewide, violent crime decreased slightly last year, by 2%, and state police reported that the number of homicides dropped 14% in Virginia last year.
Burglary and breaking and entering incidents are way down. Statewide, there were half the number of incidents last year compared to a decade ago, and the 2018 mark is the lowest in at least 20 years, when Virginia starting keeping these statistics.